Athletic shoe cleat



Fan 2, 1946. C. BlRCHFlELD 2,185,397

ATHLETIC SHOE CLEAT Filed March 18, 1937 Patented Jan. 2, 1940 ement oFFicE ATHLETIC SHQE CLEAT Grover C. Birchfield, Chicago, Ill.

Application March 18,

8 Claims.

My invention relates to shoes, especially shoes for athletic activities, such as football and other outdoor games, and has to do more particularly with an improved cleat for such shoes.

My invention consists of an improved cleat which has special advantages, facilitating ground penetration and also providing increased traction for running and pivoting, these advantages being of special value in such games as football.

My invention has a special application to cleats which are molded of hard rubber, fiber and the like.

My invention contemplates a cleat having a core with relatively thin, laterally extending wings, said wings facilitating ground penetration and also improving traction.

My invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this application and illustrating certain preferred embodiments of my invention, where- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a shoe to which cleats embodying my invention are attached, one of said cleats being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevational View of a cleat of the type shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the same;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing a modified form of cleat embodying my invention;

Fig. 5 is an elevational View of still another embodiment of my invention; and

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of a cleat extension forming a feature of my invention in certain embodiments thereof.

The numeral i0 indicates generally a shoe having an upper l2 and a sole I3 and heel Hl. Cleats l5 embodying my invention may be attached both to the sole and heel.

The form of cleat shown in Figs. 1-3 comprises a base portion IE which may be of substantial cylindrical form, from which depends a tapered portion l1. The tapered portion Il is more or less of frusto-conical contour, except that it has a concave surface I8 adjoining the cylindrical portion I6, terminating in what may be referred to as a stud portion i9.

Molded as an integral portion of the cleat is a plurality of vanes or wings 2li beginning immediately below the base portion i6 and continuing to a point slightly above the free extremity of the stud portion i9. rFhese wing portions may be of any desired number, but are preferably four in number, dividing the cleat into equal quadrants, and may have either a straight edge or a convexly curved edge, as indicated at 22.

1937, Serial No. 131,557

Cleats embodying my invention may be attached to the shoe in any suitable manner. For convenience, I have shown a simple form of attachment, consisting of a nut 23 molded into the cleat and a threaded stud 24 arranged in the sole of the shoe and extending outwardly from the face thereof, said stud 24 being clamped to the sole by means of a nut 25. The cleat is secured to the sole by threading the nut 23 onto the stud 24 in the manner shown in Fig. 1. A spring steel plate 25 may be arranged in the sole of the shoe, the stud 24 extending therethrough.

It will be understood that the attaching means shown is merely by way of example, and that cleats embodying my invention may be attached in any known or other suitable manner.

Another form of cleat embodying my invention is sho-Wn in Fig. 4. This form of cleat comprises a cylindrical portion 30 from which depends a frusto-conical portion 3i. Extending radially from the portion 3l is a plurality of wings or vanes 32. It will be noted that these vanes are also arranged to d'ene quadrants and have substantially straight side edges 33 and straight bottom edges 34, so that a pair of diametrically opposed vances dene substantially a rectangle, as shown clearly in Fig. 4.

This embodiment of my invention provides increased surface for supporting the foot on pavements, by reason of the edges 34.

In all of the embodiments, the vanes extend laterally a substantial distance from the core portion of the cleat. It is thus apparent that these vanes will function in at least two important capacities, namely, to provide relatively sharp downwardly facing edges Which will greatly facilitate ground penetration so as to improve the traction of the wearer, and, secondly, by means of the substantial lateral projection of the vanes from the central core, by affording added resistance for traction against rotation and slippage.

It will be seen, therefore, that shoes carrying cleats embodying my invention provide greatly added traction to the wearer, both in running and in turning and pivoting, due to the functions described above.

Fig. 5 shows still another embodiment of my invention which is similar to the embodiment of Fig. 2 except that the vanes 20a have straight lateral edges 40 and are squared off at their bottom portions as at lll, said vanes terminating an appreciable distance above the free end of the core portion 13a. Said core portion thus extends beyond the vanes a substantial distance to provide a stud like portion 43 which likewise facilitates ground penetration. A similar extension to the stud like portion 43 may be provided on any of the other embodiments.

In certain embodiments of my invention the core portion of the cleat may be provided with an axial bore which may itself be threaded, if the cleat is formed of sufficiently hard material, or may be provided with a threaded member molded into the cleat such as a threaded sleeve or nut. Such a cleat may be converted from a type suitable for Wet weather or soft ground into a type suitable for dry Weather or hard ground by attaching thereto a cleat extension as shown in Fig. 6, which comprises a cylindrical portion 45 having molded therein a screw portion 46, said screw portion, of course, being adapted to be screwed into the cleat proper. As another use of the extension shown in Fig. 6, it may be attached to a cleat of the type herein described or of any other suitable type after said cleat has been worn down as a result of play, thus adding to the ground penetrating value of the cleat and extending the life thereof.

Various other modifications of my invention may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and, hence, I do not wish to be limited to the specific forms shown or uses mentioned,v except to the extent indicated in the appended claims, which are to be interpreted as broadly as the state of the art will permit.

I claim:

1. A molded detachable shoe cleat comprising a core, and vanes extending laterally from said core, said vanes providing relatively sharp edges to facilitate ground penetration and having suicient area to provide substantial resistance against slippage and rotation.

2. A molded detachable shoe cleat comprising a stud portion having radially extending vanes, said vanes having edges to facilitate ground penetration and the faces thereof having suicient area substantially to reduce slippage and rotation.

3. A molded detachable shoe cleat comprising a substantially frusto-conioal stud portion having radially extending vanes, said vanes having downwardly facing edges to facilitate ground penetration and the faces thereof having sufficient area substantially to reduce slippage and rotation.

4. A molded detachable shoe cleat having a stud portion with a concave shoulder adjacent said stud portion and radial vanes extending from the base of said shoulder to adjacent the free extremity of said stud portion, said vanes having downwardly facing edges to facilitate ground penetration and the faces thereof having sucient area substantially to reduce slippage and rotation.

5. A shoe cleat comprising a core and vanes extending laterally froml said core, said vanes providing relatively sharp edges to facilitate ground penetration and having suicient area to provide substantial resistance against slippage and rotation, said core extending substantially beyond the outer extremities of said vanes.

6. A molded shoe cleat, comprising a core, and a plurality of members having substantially flat lateral faces, said members projecting laterally from said core to improve traction.

7. A molded shoe cleat, comprising a core, and a plurality of members having substantially flat lateral faces, said members projecting laterally from said core to improve traction, said members being provided with substantially straight ground engaging edges for improving foot support on a hard surface.

8. A shoe cleat comprising a core and vanes yextending laterally from said core, said vanes providing relatively sharp edges to facilitate ground penetration and having suflicient area to provide substantial resistance against slippage and rotation, said core extending substantially beyond the outer extremities of said vanes, said core being provided with threaded means molded therein for engagement with an extension member.

GROVER C. BIRCHFIELD. 

